


Lycanthrope in the Valley

by werewolfboy



Category: Stardew Valley (Video Game)
Genre: M/M, NB Farmer, Werewolves, all aboard the Shane train
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-10-14
Updated: 2017-10-02
Packaged: 2018-08-22 07:29:23
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 17,433
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8277727
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/werewolfboy/pseuds/werewolfboy
Summary: Farmer Jason Lycus Wulf isn't your ordinary sarcastic, wise-cracking farmer. He's also a werewolf. His grandfather died and left him the deed to Callisto Farms down in Stardew Valley, and he plans to take the place out of the dirt and raise himself a gold standard farm, but not before becoming Pelican Town's heartthrob and catching the eye of one of the most difficult and attractive personalities he's faced.
              "Jason Lycus Wulf, eh? Jason Wolf Wolf? Jeez, what are you, some kinda wolf-man?" Shane only thinks it's funny in the half second before Jason grins a toothy grin and says, "Well, yeah." 
              Oh, he thinks, fuck.





	1. The Deed

**Author's Note:**

> Now a coupla big resounding notes to leave with you readers: I will be updating this fic as regularly as I can. I'm in university AND college, and I've got a ton of work to do from both schools and my extra-curriculars. So this might be sporadic. But trust me when I say the wait is going to be worth it. Kudos and comments always appreciated!

          Jason’s grandfather had been dead for about fifteen years when he opened the letter and found the deed to Callisto Farms folded neatly inside. He had turned twenty five not two months earlier, and he had been settled in the same daily routine for the last six years at Joja, slowly climbing the corporate ladder but so slowly that it seemed like nothing at all was happening.

          Every single day, like clockwork, he woke up at six in the morning to fix up a quick and bland breakfast (toast with jam, no time to make anything else, and take your vitamins, your iron is low again). He got dressed and left at six thirty to get to work as early as possible to get a little bit more pay (a measly dollar and six cents more per the two early hours), and worked the entire day trying to help Joja spread across the continent and drown small businesses. Occasionally, they’d have cheap coffee and cheaper baked goods at the front desk. But if you took more than one coffee and one sad deflated croissant, you’d have to pay. After all that work, he would come home and microwave a small meal, shower, and sleep again.

           This was Jason’s schedule. Every single day, of every single month, of every single year. Well.. full moons excepted. Those were the days that came back to bite him in the ass. The lockdown cost him sleep, which made him hungrier and slower working. Those days, he lost pay. The last full moon had been extremely rough on him, and he woke dissatisfied, longing for the days in his youth when he was able to let loose on his grandfather’s farm in Stardew Valley, before the accident. Even after the accident, when his grandfather housed him one week every month, that had been fun. He had been less afraid of the monsters that would spawn on the farm after the accident.

           The point was, his life had grown stale. The city bored him. His job mistreated him. Any potential relationships wandered into his life, stayed in his bed, and left the morning after. His landlords were vicious and greedy. He didn’t get paid nearly enough to put up with the things he did. So he opened the letter, and found the deed, and quit his job (with grace, as much as he wanted to tell his bosses to shove it right up their asses, one never knew if they’d need some place to crawl back to if things went south).

           That was how, on the first day of Spring, Jason L. Wulf had found himself getting off the bus in a bizarrely colourful and brightly lit landscape. It was all so radically different from his childhood memories, but then, those had been mostly in the nighttime. The air was clean, there were trees everywhere, and there was a very beautiful older lady waiting for him as he got off the bus.

         “You must be Jason. I’m Robin, the town’s carpenter. You don’t remember me, do you?” The redhead gave a hopeful smile. Jason grinned ruefully and shook his head, his messy silver-white hair tousled in the breeze.

           “No, ma’am, ‘fraid I don’t. Grandpa didn’t usually introduce me in town when I was around.” He said, reaching to shake her hand firmly. Her hands were calloused, something he hadn’t felt in anyone’s hands in the city. He decided right then and there that he liked Robin very much.

           “That’s alright, you were very young back then anyway. I only saw you running around and scraping your knees trying to catch frogs when I went to build some silos for your old man. I don’t remember you being so roughed up, though. And the hair.. Is that bleached?” She asked, tutting over his appearance. “I don’t suppose you were in a real dangerous job in the city, that you got all those scars?”

           Jason let himself have a laugh. “Nah, I worked at- well, it was an office job, and it was a shitshow, if you’ll pardon the language. The hair and the scars happened here, some long years ago. It’s a long story.”

           His closed off tone seemed to have gotten across, and Robin shrugged and walked him to the farm, talking all the while about repairs she’d be happy to do for him, given that the place had gone to ruins. “Oh,” she added, turning around before the farm gate, “And I hope you don’t mind but we added a little shrine to your grandfather, just at the far end where all the silos are. Might give you some peace of mind to know that part of the farm is cleaned up.”

           “It does. Kind of you, Robin. I’ll remember that kindness come my first harvest.” Jason promised, following her over to the cabin. He let out a low whistle. “Place really went to hell.”

            “Not that it can’t be fixed up again, eh? You must be Jason. I’m Lewis, mayor of Pelican Town. It’s nice to finally meet you.” said a gruff voice behind him. Jason turned, and gave Lewis a moment to recover his composure from the initial sight. Everyone always needed a moment, after looking at his scarred face and neck.

            “Nice to meetcha too. My grandad said in his letter to tell you hi from him, if you were still with the living.” Jason shook his hand firmly and went back to looking at the farm.

            “Well, that sure sounds like him. So, here’s the keys, place is all yours. All of it. Robin and I took the liberty of cleaning the house, in and out, left you some things to get you started. I really hope you do some good work here son, it’d do good for the town. I live in town just below the saloon, but I’ll be around. Robin’s your closest neighbour, up in the mountains. You come and talk to us, you need anything, you hear?”

           Jason nodded, staring into the wild grasses and weeds that grew tall and gnarly between the many trees that had taken over the farm. “Will do sir, thank you sir.”

           Lewis sucked his teeth and rocked on his heels. “Well, dusk is setting in. And I’m not the adventurous young lad I used to be, staying up after dark to get rid of the monsters here with your grandpa. I’ll be taking my leave now.

            Jason turned. “I’ll walk you both out, shall I? And I’ll get started working tomorrow, soon as I say hi to the rest of the town.”

          The mayor and Robin said their thank-yous and goodbyes, waving at Jason. He waved back and shut the fence behind him, heading back into the fields, already planning his next few days out on the farm. He sniffed the air delicately, scenting the sweet spring breeze full of pollen and promise, smiling to himself a little.

          Jason hopped up the creaky stairs to his new cabin and went inside, noting immediately the cleanliness of the one small room that was the whole cabin, minus the bathroom. There was a television on the floor, some busted up old thing his grandfather only bought to placate a younger Jason years and years ago. He switched it on and flipped through the channels to make sure things were in working order before he turned it off.

        In the middle of the cabin was a giftwrapped little box, and he picked it up and put it on the smallish table tucked away at the side. Jay tossed his bag onto the table next to it and rolled up his sleeves, taking the dust covers off of all the furniture and folding them up before putting them in the closet before the bathroom. There were clean linens and shower curtains inside, a gift from the mayor, no doubt. The bathroom itself sparkled neatly, and another gift basket of bathroom cleaning products awaited him in a neat box below the sink.

           Jason washed his face with some lukewarm water and dried his hands on one of the dark red cotton towels. He gazed at himself in the mirror, his olive green eyes dark and tired already from the excitement. He noted how his scars stood out, white lines on brown skin, impossible to miss. He sighed and shook it off, going back to stocking up the house.

          His bed was made with fresh sheets, the pillow was fluffed, the rugs were clean and fluffier than he remembered… All of the wooden monster decorations he had painted with his grandfather still hung on the walls. The place had a Halloween vibe that Jason always loved, now more of a bitter irony than anything. Still, it was better than his broom closet of an apartment back in the city.

           Jason went back to his bag and unpacked his clothes and meager belongings. The other boxes with his appliances, books, and plants would be coming later in the week. He carried and organized his clothes in the drawers of his grandfather’s old oak dresser, finishing quickly. He grabbed the books he had carried on his back and stuffed them in the tiny bookcase, already full to bursting with farm manuals and notebooks of records from the farm chronicling its harvests and profits over generations of the Wulf family.

          Grandpa Wulf had always been adamant about recording everything, right down to how many hairs grew out of a pig’s ass. Jason hated how boring it was, but he admired his grandfather’s thoroughness with the task.

           His own unpacking done, Jason decided to shower and wash his clothes in the tub afterwards. Once that was done, he dried himself off and walked, nude, to open the box that Lewis and Robin had left in his house.

           He untied the ribbons and ripped open the paper, surprised and pleased to find his grandfather’s tools, cleaned and touched up, next to a bunch of seed packets.

           “This makes my life easier.” He chuckled to himself, grateful to the old man and Robin for sparing him spending money before he had made any extra. Not that he couldn’t spend, exactly. He had all his savings and some spending money from his last job, but most of it had gone to his savings, and he couldn’t afford to be spending all kinds of money on seeds just yet.

           Besides that, there was the matter of the house not having a kitchen (Grandpa Wulf had mostly just gone down to the Saloon for food, after his grandmother died). Jason needed the money more for food than seeds just now.

           He organized his clothes and tools for tomorrow, spread on the floor a few footsteps away from his bed; his skull printed sleeveless shirt, acid washed jeans, heavy boots, the seeds, and the hoe and watering can.

           That done, and satisfied, he let sleep take him as the moon rose in the sky.


	2. The Secret

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jason wakes up and gets The Talk, then meets Marnie.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know, I know, he hasn't met Shane yet. It's coming! I want to get a nice set up beforehand, so here's part one of chapter 2.

 

         Like every day for the past six years, he woke at six. For the first time in six years, though, he felt at peace with it. He rose up and opened a window, letting in the fresh air. He took a deep breath, and then winced as his stomach rumbled painfully. Just then, there was a knock at the door. “Gimme a minute!” Jason called, grabbing his boxers and tripping into them while walking over.

 

        He opened the door,and winced at the brighter light shining on the front of the cabin. In front of him was Lewis. He blinked again and leaned heavily on the door, the scars that wrapped around his torso stark in the light. “Morning, Lewis. You caught me a bit unprepared or guests, I’m afraid. Can I do something for you?”

 

        “Well, I was hoping to come in and talk over some breakfast. I made some pancakes and bacon, brought over some coffee. Awful sorry to just barge in, but it’s important.” the old man told him, cheery.

 

       Jason got up and opened the door wider. “Well, you brought food, and I’m not one to say no to that. Cmon in, just sit down and I’ll get dressed.”

 

        He let Lewis in, shutting the door behind him and going to his bed, pulling on his shirt and pants, followed by his socks. He checked his stubble in the grubby mirror above his bed and turned back to Lewis when he was satisfied with his appearance. “Sorry bout that. Now, let me open up some more windows or something, you go on ahead and sit. Make yourself at home.”

 

        Lewis gave a hearty laugh and portioned out the food as Jason opened the windows and curtains, letting light filter in. He sat down opposite the old man and dug in, relishing the delicious hot food. “These are amazing, by the way. So, what is it you needed to tell me?”

 

        Lewis folded his hands on the table after a few bites of pancake. “Well, I forgot to tell you yesterday that there’s a big ol’ box near the gate. Now, that thing is secure from all the critters and such that’d try to get in, and it’s meant to hold all the things you mean to sell. I come by every morning to take it up and ship it, and you get your pay in the afternoon when the mail comes.”

 

        Jason munched on the bacon and nodded. “I remember Grandpa saying something to that sense when I asked him, ages back. I’ll write that down, sir. Thanks again.”

  
  


        “Now hold on, I do have a few questions to ask you. Well, just the one. It might lead to a discussion of sorts.” Lewis cleared his throat, and Jason crunched the bacon loudly, eyes narrowing just slightly as he noticed the discomfort of the old man in front of him.

 

        “I don’t pretend to know what kind reception you get in the city, I’ve never lived outside Stardew Valley my whole life. But I hear bad things. What I want you to know, ‘fore I ask you what I’m fixing to ask you, is that this town has a zero tolerance policy on discrimination. Of any kind. We’re real open minded, and we’re open to being educated if we encounter new things.”

 

        Oh boy. Jason shut his eyes for just a moment and prayed silently in his mind that Lewis would not utter what Jason feared he would utter. The embarrassment would be too much, but if he was going to be fair with himself, he had never made it much of a secret anyway. His grandfather always said he’d never tell, but the old man got very talkative when he was in his cups.

 

        “What I mean to say is that, well, this valley has its fair share of odd critters. Like them slimes, and the mutant bugs, and so forth. Monsters, if you’ll pardon that. But, well, your granddaddy mentioned to me a long time ago, when I asked, he said, ‘Lewis, you know that big old wolf what skulks ‘round my farm and makes that big ruckus? That’s my grandson.’ And well, what I mean to say is, is that true?”

 

        Jason let out a long breath he hadn’t been aware he was holding. “Well, yes. I mean, the name is a bit of a giveaway, I don’t really make too much fuss about it unless somebody asks. The city cares more about.. Other things.”

 

        Lewis nodded gravely. “Now, that’s answered.. I won’t tell anybody, that’s not my place. But I will say, the townsfolk know very little about werewolves, and if you choose to tell them you may have to answer a buncha questions. Your granddad never made a big fuss about public safety hazards when you were around, as it was back in our day, and I know you ain’t no danger. But I wanted to be sure.”

 

        Jason shrugged, well aware what the older generations had to say about his kind in more ways than one. Being non-binary, queer, and darker skinned as well as a werewolf would do that for you fine. He polished off his meal and wiped his face. 

 

        “Well, trust me when I tell you, I’m no danger to anybody. The one that bit me only left this scar-” he gestured to the big white jaw marks on the muscle that joined his neck to his shoulders, “and these other scars I got fighting the bears and monsters off on this farm. That wolf was ancient when it bit me, and it died soon after.”

 

        “Point is,” he continued, leaning back in his chair, “point is, you don’t have anything to be afraid of. I’ll only be telling if I want to. Nobody but you, and maybe whoever it is who sells livestock will know. For now.”

 

        Lewis’ face brightened a little. “Ah, that’d be Marnie. She lives on a ranch in the forest, south of here. Lovely gal, her. Has some family living with her, but she’s the sweetest of this town, I think. Well. Thank you for this talk, Jason.”

 

        Lewis began to rise, taking his garbage and throwing it out. “I ought to be going, I know you have work to do and people to see. Feel free to talk whenever you’re in town, son.” 

 

        “See ya.” He waved and saw him leave and shut the door behind him. Jason sighed and finished his coffee, waiting for the caffeine to kick in.

 

        When it did, and when he was sure Lewis was gone, he went and fetched his tools and his seeds, adding the scythe to his pile of tools before going out. He cleared a big area, about ten feet by twelve, and got to hoeing the earth and sowing seeds. After a quick break, he watered the seeds and put all his tools back. Jason wiped the sweat from his brow and checked the time.

 

        “Eleven. It’s just eleven? I thought that’d take longer..” He muttered to himself. Oh well, he supposed, better to be done early in order to get the introductions done earlier. First, to Marnie’s. He grabbed his scythe in case he needed to whack any tall grasses on his way through the rest of the uncleared farmland, and began to head out.

 

        It took the better part of an hour to get down to the southern gate, and that was because Jason had to stop to pull up weeds and cut down grass, loading it onto his left arm. He left the pile next to the door, planning to dry it and put it in the silos when he came back. Jason gulped in fresh air and rolled his shoulders, then left the farm and walked down a well beaten path into Cindersap Forest. 

 

        The forest seemed charming, as it always had in his youth, with its tall trees and shafts of dusty light piercing through. It was magic. Jason put his hand on a nearby pine and felt the rough bark, the knots in the wood. His mind wandered back to all of the lessons of gathering lumber his grandfather had given him, and smiled. He turned back around and searched for the ranch, finding it by virtue of locating a big red brick silo.

 

        The ranch was a cute rustic building, and next to it was a cuter cottage with a sign above the door reading “OPEN”. Jason knocked out of habit before opening the door, waiting until he heard  a very warm voice calling “Come in!” before entering.

 

        Directly in front of him was the foyer, transformed into a sort of store. There was a counter and cash register, as well as various animal related products to the side, including animal products proudly proclaiming they were farm fresh, organic, and non-GMO. 

 

        There was a door far behind the till, and there was a curtain almost directly behind the till itself. To his right and left were two short hallways, one leading to what looked like a living room, and one to a neat tiled floor that Jason assumed must be a kitchen. 

 

        “Uh, hello?” He called timidly, faced with an empty till.

 

        “Just a moment, dearie!” called the same voice as before. Moments later, the owner of the voice appeared, a matronly older woman with thick brown hair in a side braid and warm brown doe eyes. She was two heads shorter than Jason, who stood about 6 feet tall, and she was round and soft and pretty. 

 

        “Oh, uh, pardon me. I didn’t mean to interrupt anything. I’m Jason Lycus Wulf, the uh- The new farmer. Mayor Lewis told me to go around and introduce myself, ma’am.”

 

        Her already flushed cheeks turned a little pinker, and she let out a laugh. “Oh, you’re Daniel’s grandson, are you? Yoba rest his soul. Well, I’m Marnie, and it is lovely to meet you. I’m the animal dealer round these parts, I sell livestock and supplies as well as some meats and dairy and such. You won’t find eggs with yellower yolks than on my farm!”

 

        Jason shook the hand she extended to him, giving a small laugh. “Suppose I’ll have to learn a lot from you, if I ever raise anything here that isn’t crops.”

 

        Marnie beamed proudly and walked to be behind the till, taking a cloth from the apron she wore and wiping down the counter. “Well, and is there something I can do for you, Mr. Wulf?”

 

        “Actually, there is, ma’am. But I’d prefer this be a private thing, not to leave this room for now. I’m, uh. I’m a, uh. A werewolf.” Better to rip off the bandaid and say it all at once, right? Right?

 

        “Ah, well, I suppose the name is a dead giveaway. Two surnames meaning ‘wolf’ is rather on the nose, don’t you think, dearie? So, I suppose you’ll be needing bulk meat at a good price. I can do that for you.”

 

        Jason blinked, surprised by her nonchalant. “Uh, yes, thank you. Thanks.”

 

        “Now, if I remember right, that old cabin doesn’t have a kitchen. So you best be sticking to dried meats for now, and you can soften them up in broth or hot water. My jerky and cured meats are right there-” she pointed at a bin with various labelled jars of dried meats, and above it to a rack of sausages, “and I’ll cut you a deal, five pounds for 50 gold pieces. That’s about, oh, 15 pieces off from normal price.”

 

        Jason nodded and thanked her, loading up a bag and weighing it carefully before paying. 

 

        “Thank you kindly, ma’am. So, that saloon in town, the Stardrop, that’s where everyone gets together, right?”

 

        “Well yes, but you’ll find more people in there for dinner rather than lunch. If you go in at around six-thirty, everyone in town’ll be there. Course, it’s more chance you’d find everyone there on a Friday..” She dusted her hands off on the apron and folded her hands.

 

        “Right. Thank you, ma’am.” He said, shouldering his pack.

 

        “Oh, now, really, you can just call me Marnie. Now go on, off with you, I’ve got to go and check on the barn. Have a nice day now!” she said, shooing him off.

 

        Jason chuckled and waved again, going out the door. He paused to consult his map again, and headed east toward the town. The map said there was a doctor’s office, a general store, a blacksmith’s, and a library that double as a museum in town. Jason wanted very much to get himself acquainted with these locales, given that he’d probably be using those the most.


	3. The Tour

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Continued on from last chapter, part two of Chapter 2. Jason heads into town to meet some folks and get acquainted with Pelican Town's various services.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When I finish writing the third and final part of Chapter 2 (since, if anyone actually reads my notes, I've had to split the chapter up into three parts because it was way too long), Jason will have met Shane and we can finally dive in to the main action.  
> Thank you all for bearing with me as I update this fic as much as I possibly can. Endnotes will have more info on updates if you'e interested/actually read what I have to say.

        He approached the town and spotted a small crowd of young people. They looked to be about their early twenties, and they were comprised of a girl and two boys. 

 

        The girl seemed to be something like a dragon, with her pale lilac purple hair and blue eyes, wearing a dark denim jacket over a gray shirt-dress with black leggings and heavy boots. She was round cheeked, and she was elegant in the way she took up so much space with her pear-shaped body and her aura. 

 

        The boy to her right was dressed all in black, had black painted fingernails on fingertips that looked to be stained with nicotine (he was holding a lit cigarette; the smell made Jason immediately nauseous). His hair was black, and one side was longer than the other, framing an oval face with dark sleepless eyes. 

 

        The last boy seemed the most incongruous out of them all, but also the most well fitted to their aesthetic: he was violently blond, his hair spiked up. He had electric blue eyes and he was wearing a roughed up denim jacket with patches from various rock bands Jason had seen around the city, all over a yellow shirt and brown pants.

 

        They all looked at Jason with a kind of confusion that only comes when you live in a small town and know everybody, and suddenly see someone you don’t know. Jason raised a hand in greeting, and they waved him over quickly.

 

         “You’re the new farmer, right? The guy who took over the monster farm? I always liked going into those fields and exploring.” said the girl.

 

        “Yeah, that’s me. Name’s Jason, by the way.”

 

        “I’m Abigail.” she told him. 

 

        The raven-haired boy took a long drag on his cigarette, and blew it out slowly through his nostrils and mouth. “I’m Sebastian.”

 

        “I’m Sam.” said the blond boy, reaching to shake Jason’s hand. The others quickly remembered their manners and did the same. 

 

        “Nice to meet you all. Could I ask a favour? I have, no idea where I am right now and this map says there’s a general store and a doctor’s office in town. I really, really need to get there. Could you point me in the right direction?” He asked, showing them his map.

 

        “I’ll just show you the way. I was gonna head up and buy some more smokes, anyway. And my step-sister, Maru, works in the doctor’s office” Sebastian said, grinding out his cigarette under his heel. He placed the butt in an empty carton and pocketed it. The smell was nauseating, but at the least he didn’t litter. Jason could appreciate that much.

 

        “Oh, thank you. Thanks a lot, actually.” He said, grinning. The other two shrugged and  went off towards a big house across from where they were standing, waving to Sebastian. Once they had gone inside, Sebastian gestured to Jason and began to walk.

 

        Sebastian led Jason past a large square, mostly empty save for a very elderly woman tending to giant flower baskets. Jason resolved to introduce himself after he had done his business at the shop, which was right ahead. Sebastian opened the door and walked inside, holding it open for Jason, who padded past him. The raven-haired youth cleared his throat,

 

        “Anyway.. This is Pierre’s. I’m, gonna go get my smokes and leave so. See you around, or whatever. If you stop by Robin’s, I’ll be there usually, since she’s my mom.”

 

        Jason scuffed his boots. “Well, thanks for showing me the way. I really appreciate it. And tell your mom I said hey, if you see her before I do.”

 

        Sebastian grinned, said it was nothing, and went on his merry way. Jason explored the general store, introducing himself to an elegant giant of a man who was a bit taller than he was with stubble and long flowing auburn hair named Elliot. In the same breathe he met a very tidy dreamy looking woman with very red hair in a side braid named Leah, and a green haired woman named Caroline who professed to be the wife to the shop’s owner, Pierre, and Abigail’s mother.

 

        Caroline introduced him, in turn, to Pierre, who delightedly shook his hand.

 

       “Mayor Lewis stopped by and mentioned you might be coming around, and so I stocked up on some seeds and fertilizer just for you! A little agriculture might really do some good for the local economy.”

 

        “Ah, well, it’s good to know we can count on each other, then. I’ll be buying anything I need strictly from here.” Jason said, a bit embarrassed at all the kindness being shown him.

 

        He excused himself from the shop and headed to the doctor’s office next, meeting a portly and kind older gentleman named Harvey, who wore a green sweater vest and thick glasses over an equally thick mustache. 

 

        His aide was a beautiful dark skinned girl with a purple bob cut of straightened hair, who Jason assumed was Maru. She wore glasses like Harvey’s, but it wasn’t like anyone would really notice once they’d seen her glittering yellow eyes. 

 

        “You must be Maru. Sebastian said you worked here.” Jason shook her hand after shaking Harvey’s.

 

        “I am. And I’m so sorry, but Dr. Harvey is sort of busy, so if you don’t mind.. But, hey, if you ever stop by Robin’s, you’ll see me. You can also find me stargazing, usually.”

 

        “Be sure to stop by here for any of your medical needs now, Mr. Wulf.” Harvey shook his hand again as a farewell gesture, very firmly, and disappeared behind the door. Maru returned to her spot behind the front desk.

 

        “Buh-bye now, Mr. Jason!” She called as Jason turned to the door. He waved and left, taking a deep breath.

 

        “I’m gonna have to write all these names down..” Jason muttered to himself as he left the office. He resolved to make a compilation of the names as soon as he got home.

 

        Jason spent the rest of the afternoon exploring in town, going up the hill to find a busted up and overgrown building that called to him for some unknown reason. He sat in front of it in quiet contemplation for a long time, feeling a sort of clean white noise in his mind that was calming, if eerie.

 

        He got up and walked away, going northeast and walking up the path to what the map said was the carpenter’s shop and house. Jason walked past the house, going toward a beautiful mountain lake and staring out into the distance. He turned after a few minutes and spotted Robin walking up the path with a basket, cheerily chatting and holding hands with a very handsome dark skinned older gentleman. 

 

        He called after them, waving widely to Robin, who caught his eye and waved back, pointing toward him excitedly and saying something- Jason could barely make it out- to the man next to her. Jason began walking down toward them, meeting them halfway.

 

        “Farmer Jason! It’s so good to see you- Demetrius, honey, this is the new young man in town I was telling you about last night.” 

 

        The tall man reached to shake his hand with an easy grin. He had a good, firm handshake. Jason felt immediate trust.

 

        “It’s nice to meet you. I’m Demetrius, the town scientist. Me and my daughter Maru, that is. Have you met Maru yet? Or Sebastian?”

 

        “Both, actually. Sebastian took me to the general store today, and then I found my way into the doctor’s office. They seem to be really good kids, sir.” Jason offered.

 

        Demetrius cracked a wider grin. “Well, me and Robin do our best. We were just off to eat some lunch, but, we’ll see you in town.”

 

        Jason gave a nod, grinning and squinting in the bright sunlight. “You guys go on, enjoy yourselves. I’ll be at the saloon later in the evening.”

 

        The couple left him then and continued walking uphill. Jason, out of courtesy, walked the other way. 

 

        He stumbled upon a ragged looking old man at the very top of the hill, just above Robin’s house, and quickly apologized. He bowed his head, feeling as if he’d somehow intruded on the other man’s peaceful afternoon. To his surprise, the old man simply gave a chuckle and smiled.

 

        “No need to apologize. I was probably in your way, rather than the other way around.” He said, apologetic. His eyes looked distrustful despite anything. Jason shrank inwardly, wondering if it was something about his appearance.

 

        “I-I’m Jason. Wulf. The new farmer. Uhm.” 

 

        “Oh, sorry, I forgot to say my name, didn’t I? Sorry. I’m Linus.” 

 

        Jason reached out and shook his hand awkwardly. He then immediately bowed his head again and mumbled a curt apology before leaving to run back to town, embarrassed. 

 

        By the time he got back to town, it was almost sunset. He had spent nearly the whole day trying to get acquainted with the folks around town, and he felt as if he’d only met a fraction of the people that lived here with him. He sighed inwardly, and sat down on a bench before searcing for paper and a pencil in his bag. 

 

        Grandpa Wulf was the one with the amazing memory, and Jason had not inherited any part of that. However, over the years he had learned to survive by writing things out to the point of committing those things to memory (or at least muscle memory). It worked well enough for remembering names and things associated with those names. He figured, with the amount of people he’d be living around and in a town the size of Pelican Town, he’d have to learn their names and likes/dislikes sooner than later. And what better way to remember than to keep a small “file” of sorts on the villagers?

 

        Once he’d found a pad of paper and a stub of a pencil, he began to make neat little boxes and writing down the names of the villagers as well as a short description of their appearance. He left space below that to add likes and dislikes, figuring it might come in handy. It didn’t take long to finish, but by the time he did finish he was starving. It figured, he thought to himself, I’ve been thinking so hard I burned all the calories I took in this morning.

 

        The smells wafting from the saloon across the way were calling to him, and he sighed. He was always going to go, anyway. Since he didn’t have food at home just yet, and no kitchen. Jason got up and winced when he heard his joints crack. He scowled, berating his body for acting and sounding years older than it really was. Jason gave a short stretch and walked over to the saloon, admiring the hanging sign that read “Stardrop Saloon” for a moment before opening the door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> On updates: Again, I'm in uni and college at the same time and they give me a crap ton of work. Updates will be sporadic for that reason and also because I really want to make sure I have these chapters edited, proofread, rewritten if I have to rewrite, and I want them to be well thought out and paced so that you guys enjoy them as much as I do.
> 
> I write things I want to read myself, so I hope you'll understand why I take so long to update. I put a lot of work into this.
> 
> And as always, kudos and comments are greatly appreciated! They really inspire me to keep writing these fics that I write. Enjoy!


	4. The Meeting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Jason and Shane finally meet, and it's sorta meet-cute. That is, if meet-cute includes scaring the shit out of somebody who checked you with a door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's a (belated) Christmas miracle! I've been trying to get this done and to get ahead in typing chapters while I'm on break so here is the last part of chapter 2! As always, kudos and comments are highly valued. Thank you guys so much for all your love and appreciation! It really inspired me to finish this.

        The warm smell of cooking food and the sound of cheery voices and glasses clinking were what greeted Jason as he opened the door and walked inside of the saloon. He blinked, his eyes adjusting to the change in light, and looked around quickly to find a seat before anyone could offer him a spot. There were still lots of unidentified faces amid the crowd that Jason would have to face sooner than later, but after a hard day of work and socializing he felt he deserved a drink before he did any more.

 

        The speed at which he found an empty bar stool right against the main bar reminded him, oddly enough, of his days working for Joja. During the meager time the company allowed its employees to have lunch, if Jason had not brought any of his own and had a pretty penny to spare, he would go and eat in the cafeteria.

 

        He hated it. It was a minefield of social anxiety and work related pitfalls and the food was always ugly looking and questionable in terms of freshness. It looked like shit, it tasted like cheese and rubber, and it never quite filled you. That was the first of the faults of Joja’s cafeteria.

        Once you had your food, you shuffled along and tried to find a place to sit that was empty and you had to be quick about it because you were on the clock and the company would most definitely dock pay for every minute you took to eat and get back to your desk. Jason felt mounting anxiety every time he heard the cafeteria’s clocks ticking. He felt the same anxiety magnified whenever one of his coworkers sat near him or tried to engage him in chitchat. 

 

        Half the time, they were out to get him to reveal some kind of incriminating information so they would get a promotion over him. It was a dog-eat-dog situation, and the only way to win the game was to keep your head down and keep your mouth shut.

 

        The only real skill he’d kept out of the ordeal was finding a seat really quickly. The not-talking-to-people-unnecessarily was a constant in his life that he used as a shield. The less people knew about him, the better they’d feel and the less anxious Jason would feel. Jason was not a man who enjoyed opening up, not when the risk was so high.

 

        He ordered a beer after introducing himself to the barkeep, a portly man with a thick mustache named Gus. The older man kept a lively shop, and the food smelled amazing. It seemed to fill him with pride.

 

        “So, just a beer, or are you jonesing for some grub?” He asked, getting a pint ready for him and shaving the excess foam off the top.

 

        “I could do with a meal. Faced with some tough choices here, I’ll say that. Everybody’s plates look amazing.” Jason said, grinning a little grin. Gus glowed with pride and he mumbled a thank-you, causing the blonde woman with a large pint next to him to give a smoky laugh.

 

        “Oh boy, the kid really knows how to get right to you, eh Gus?” The mature blonde with the curly updo next to him gave a raspy laugh, the kind you only gave if you smoked heavily. She gave Jason a grin and outstretched her hand to shake his. Jason gave her his best handshake, avoiding getting stabbed by her long manicured nails.

 

        “I’m Pam. Practically live in this place.” She gave him a wink, and turned serious. “You met my daughter, Penny? You take extra care around her, y’hear, she’s all I got.”

 

        “Loud and clear, Ms. Pam.” Jason said, letting her hand go and offering a friendly smile.

 

        “Right, thanks Pam. Kid, what’ll you have?” Gus asked him again, placing Jason’s beer down on a coaster and sliding it over. Jason took a gulp and sighed, admiring the taste. He didn’t particularly like beer, but having seen the stock behind Gus he knew it was about the only drink he could enjoy somewhat. 

 

        “That meatloaf that Elliott’s having looks amazing. Could I get a serving, please?”

 

        “Coming right up. Gravy?” Gus asked, washing his hands and rolling his sleeves up. Jason gave him the affirmative and watched him begin the prep right before his eyes before moving back where he couldn’t be seen. Jason resolved to look around the bar a bit more and see who else he had to meet.

 

        There was a small crowd of people whose faces rang zero bells in his mind. Starting with a brunet man who wore a heavy black apron holding a pint in his soot stained hands and ending with a jock-type young man nears the bar. Jason noticed Lewis, and gave him a wave, then sent the barmaid (Emily, she told him with a wink- and with those dazzling eyes and bright blue hair Jason was certain he wouldn’t forget her anytime soon) with a pint for his table. Lewis raised the glass in cheers, then waved him over. Jason took his pint and made himself cozy.

 

        “I imagine there’s still a lot to do on that farm, eh?” The old man said after clinking glasses with him. Jason rolled his shoulders and nodded, swallowing a bit of beer.

 

        “Still lots of people I haven’t met, either.” He added, looking around again.

 

        “Oh, I’ll fill you in. Most everyone’s here, save for Haley and Jodi and Jas and Vincent.” Lewis squinted as he looked around the saloon to confirm, and nodded. Jason got his flimsy paper pad together and nodded a go-ahead, then did his best to copy down what he was told and associate names with faces.

 

        Gus brought over his food and Jason thanked him and paid straightaway, adding a good amount of coins as a tip. He didn’t look up from his plate save to chat with Lewis or laugh at one of the old man’s anecdotes. The food and drink did run out, though, and Jason got up and declared that it was late and he was tired and should be abed soon.

 

        At that instant, the door that was at his side opened and a blast of cold evening air hit him square in the back. The door narrowly checked him in the shoulder and Jason turned after yelping in pain to confront whoever the fuck was on the other side when he was faced with two very angry and very tired looking almost-black eyes.

 

        Jason reined himself in, feeling a certain kinship with that kind of look, given as how it was one he himself had given others on occasion and all from working a shitty Joja job. He straightened up and coughed, giving an awkward apology that.. Served no purpose, Jason discovered, because the man who had checked him with the door had shuffled to sit in the corner alone.

 

        “Son, you alright?” Lewis asked, patting his shoulder. Jason nodded and rolled his sore shoulder, looking at the man in the corner. He was tall, though not nearly as towering as Jason himself who stood at 6 feet in height. He had messy short cropped dark hair and what seemed like permanent stubble on a very angry face. The man also had roughed up looking clothes, not that Jason could see and judge that well given how far away the man was from him now..

 

        “Who is that, Mr. Lewis?”

 

        “Oh, him? That’s Shane. Marnie’s nephew, lives on the ranch with her and works at the- hold on, where are you going, son?”

 

        Jason paused in his steps and looked back at Lewis, who looked genuinely concerned and perhaps a little bit afraid. Did he think Jason was going in for a fight? He wasn’t that sort of person at all, but then again, Lewis had grown up raised on myths about werewolves being hyper-violent and aggressive inhuman creatures bent on rampages. It stung a little to see that in someone Grandpa Wulf had held in high esteem and whom Jason had come to respect.

 

        “I’m not going to do anything except talk to him, give him my name, and apologize for being in the way.” Jason assured him, using his best “I am calm” voice. It was the truth, after all. Jason had been standing in front of the door without paying attention, and Shane looked like he’d had a rough day.

 

        Lewis let him go, clearly inclined to do the opposite and hover around him just in case. Jason shook off the twinge of hurt he felt and paid Gus for another two pints, which Jason lugged over to the seat in the corner.

 

        Shane didn’t look up from his beer, already half drained, when Jason came along. Jason cleared his throat and slid one of the glasses over to the other man. Shane lifted his head immediately, looking a bit more approachable.

 

        “Hi.” Jason started, shoving his free hand in his pocket nervously. 

 

        “Who the hell are you?” Shane looked a bit suspicious, despite having taken the pint Jason offered.

 

        “Jason. Jason Lycus Wulf. I’m the new farmer. You’re Shane, right?”

 

        “Mrr. Yeah, that’s me. You really must be new if you’re talking to me, when half the town knows I don’t like to be bothered. Think Marnie mighta mentioned you to me, yeah..Lycus Wulf, huh?”

 

        “That’s the name, yeah. Just call me Jason.” Jason blinked, then sat down in the empty stool next to Shane. The other man seemed unfazed, finishing his first pint before he reached for the next. “I wanted to apologize for being in your way just now.”

 

        “If you keep the drinks coming, I’ll consider forgiving you.” Alright, he was getting somewhere. Jason paid for another round and clinked glasses with Shane, whose face seemed to be warming up with the alcohol.

 

        “Lycus Wulf, huh.. That’s a weird name pair. Two last names meaning wolf? Jason Wolf Wolf? Almost like you’re some kind of a wolf man.” Shane snorted at his own observation, looking to Jason to see his reaction.

 

        Now, it was Shane’s first time actually looking at Jason, so Jason could and did forgive Shane for the blatant jaw-drop and stares that followed. The scars and the hair and the glint in his eyes was enough to spook most people who met him. Later on, Jason would blame the amount of beer he’d inhaled on what came out of his mouth after.

 

        Because instead of shrugging fluidly and protecting his identity, Jason Lycus Wulf flashed an already shocked Shane a very toothy grin and said, “Well, yeah.”

 

        So much for secrecy.

 


	5. The Move-In

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jason's finally been making decent money, enough to hire Robin to renovate his cabin. But the construction will be putting him out of his home for about a month. What's a werewolf to do?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Sorry it's been so long, I've been having trouble with school and there's been some less than pleasant things going on for me. Anyway, I made this one a little bit longer as a treat! Hopefully I can get back to making sorta-monthly updates. Thanks for the kudos and comments and for your everlasting patience with me as I try to update this behemoth.

        It had been a long and exhausting journey, but summer was nearly over and Jason had worked tirelessly to raise Callisto Farms up from the ground. He had made decent money with the crops and with his foraging skills. He sold enough to be able to afford a few days off, and those he had spent clearing the farmland and organizing a stack of lumber to last through the fall and winter cold. Jason had also had to patch and fortify spots in his grandfather’s cabin, and was in talks with Robin to get the place renovated and expanded to suit Jason’s needs.

 

        As much as he had come to enjoy the outdoors, he didn’t enjoy cooking his dried meats over a campfire when the nights became cold. It was a pain in his ass, having to break every few minutes to put his scythe through some turnip monster. They were tasty enough, if you liked turnips every day to excess. So he had worked out an expansion that would include a kitchen, and one big enough to accommodate himself and the occasional guest. Jason had made fast friends in Pelican Town, and it was nothing short of embarrassing to have people over and have nothing and nowhere to really put them. He was also tired of their pitying looks.

 

        The problem was that he would need to have a place to stay while the renovations took place, and for all that Robin was a quick worker, it would likely be a month or so before Jason could move back in. He hated the notion of having to impose on anyone for so long, and especially with his condition in the way. It would have been almost better if the town had a decent hotel, but there was nothing of the sort, and there was still the matter of the full moon.

 

        Lewis and Marnie both knew his secret, her family included, as did the old wizard Rasmodius who lived in the woods. But of course, wizards know near everything. Jason wasn’t worried about any one of them spreading the news, since they had proven trustworthy enough. He supposed he could ask any one of them to put him up, as much as it would make him upset for having to do so.

 

       Jason checked over the farm buildings, pleased to see they were keeping up well after Robin’s rebuildings and Jason’s own efforts to keep things tiptop. He wrote down what he observed, down to the last detail, just like his grandfather had done. He still hated it, but it was a necessary evil. He went back to the cabin and copied down his notes in the big ledgers, then paused to look at the calendar. It wasn’t anybody’s birthday anytime soon, he’d made sure to write them all down neatly.

 

        The last task of the day was to check his food stores. He had kept a very small portion of his harvest for himself, and the crops were keeping nicely. He was, however, running low on meat. Marnie’s was still open, would be for another four hours. Jason got up and stretched a bit, gathering his backpack and money, then left his house for Marnie’s.

        The kindly lady had appointed herself as a pseudo caretaker of Jason, and it never failed to make him blush out of sheer emotion that someone he had only really just met would care about him so much, warts and all. Recently she had taken to giving him a jar of preserves with his purchases. The last few jars were either peach or orange and delicious, and he had eaten every last bit. Marnie had refused to accept extra money and crops in return for this kindness, and even though he felt bad accepting without exchange he enjoyed her thoughtfulness.

 

        Jason made good time, getting to Marnie’s a full five minutes earlier than he’d planned. It was only just beginning to get dark, and the sunset blazed vaguely above the treeline as he squinted to find Marnie’s doorbell. He rang, and heard her voice call out to wait a minute, and then she burst through the door and gestured for him to come in.

 

        “Jason! It’s so nice to see you, oh. Give me a moment, will you? I’m just trying to organize a few things in the shop before dinner. You’re staying, aren’t you? It’s getting awful late and I know when someone desperately needs a home cooked meal. You’re still only eating stew these days, I can tell.” Marnie said, wiping her hands on her apron. Jason blushed, embarrassed by her perceptiveness.

 

        “Uh. Well, I had wanted to save most of my crops for the winter. Or to sell in town. Stew’s not so bad, though. I’m getting better at it.” He said. 

 

        Still, the thought of going home to eat turnip-monster and dried meat stew for the eighth week in a row made him nauseous in comparison to the appeal of the aroma coming from Marnie’s kitchen. Marnie looked like she knew it, too. She wrinkled her nose and squinted, then gave his arm a pat.

 

        “You’re not fooling me, my boy. Go on now, I’ll get Jas to set an extra place at the table and you can help me finish cooking. I’ll get your regular purchase ready for after, too. Aprons are on the hook there, go on.”

 

        “Alright, alright. Just tell me what you need done, then.” Jason agreed, still blushing horribly.

 

        He chose the least adorned apron on the hook, not wanting to wear the frilly monstrosities next to it. It was a plain white apron with a couple of stains that smelled like stale beer. Jason figured its owner was likely Shane, and hoped the continually grumpy older man wouldn’t mind. Marnie put him in charge of overseeing the pasta noodles cooking and installed herself next to him to stir a very delicious smelling tomato sauce while Jas played in the other room.

 

        “Say, Marnie, how’s Shane been?” Jason asked suddenly, interrupting what had been a peaceful quiet amid Marnie’s occasional tips on how to make sure the noodles were cooking well. 

 

        “Oh, same old. He gets home in a worse mood than when he left, but at the least he has a steady wage of sorts. Only time I see him happy is when he’s playing with Jas or feeding the chickens. Any other time and he’s drunk.” Marnie said, sighing a little. Jason felt a rush of sympathy for Marnie, and empathy for Shane.

 

        “Joja’s not exactly fair about steady wages, though. That Morrison creep looks like he’d take the skin off your back if it would give him a promotion.” Jason offered. Marnie smiled, the area around her eyes crinkling. She reached to pet his cheek affectionately.

 

        “Thanks for being so concerned. Now, you go and get Jas in here and I’ll start plating. Shane should be home in time to join us, as well.”

 

        Jason nodded and took the apron off, replacing it on the hook. He felt a bit nervous about eating a family dinner with Shane, since the other man was still as prickly as ever since that night at the saloon. It had kept Jason up at night, wondering if the other man hated him for what he was. It seemed like he was like that with everybody, though. 

 

        It didn’t make Jason feel any better.

 

        “Oh, it’s Jason! I didn’t know you were here.” Jas said once she’d noticed him come into the living room. She got up and dusted her knees, then fixed Jason with a very serious stare.

 

        “Hey, Jas. Marnie’s got supper done, she wants you to wash up. I’ll be staying for dinner, it seems.”

 

        She nodded and put her toys away, going to wash her hands. Jason scratched the back of his neck awkwardly, never sure how to be comfortable around children. Jas was a kind of serious child, too. Just as he wondered if he should get back to Marnie, the front door opened and closed loudly and a distinctly male grumbling began. Jason’s heart leapt into his throat as he turned around and saw Shane roughly shoving off his shoes.

 

        He supposed the other man felt eyes on him, and before Jason could come to his senses and pretend like he was looking at something interesting in the living room, Shane looked up and glared at him.

 

        “Uh. Hi.” Jason managed lamely.

 

        “What are you doing here?” Shane asked him, straightening up and shoving his hands in his pockets.

 

        Jason swallowed in an effort to moisten his throat, which had gone dry as the desert. Before he could croak out a weak reply, Marnie appeared from the door to the kitchen and leaned on the doorway with her hands on her hips.

 

        “Shane, be nice to our dinner guest. He’s been helping me make spaghetti for all of us.” She admonished. Shane ducked his head, more inclined to behave if his aunt was watching him. Jason shot her a grateful look and she winked in return.

 

        Jason washed up in the kitchen sink instead of the bathroom in order to avoid bumping into Shane once more. He sensed that the other man needed a bit of distance before he was more or less sociable again. Typical of coming home from a Joja job, Jason remembered the sentiment from his days living in the city. 

 

        Jason turned around after drying his hands on one of the hand embroidered towels hanging from the handle of the oven door and came face to face with Shane, who looked extremely jaded. Jason gave an undignified yelp and jumped slightly.

 

        “Oh, you spooked me! Sorry, uh-”

 

        “You’re in my way.” Shane looked pointedly to the sink and held up an empty glass. Jason wished the earth would open up and swallow him whole.

 

        “Uh. Sorry.. Right.” He moved aside and sat down, nerve endings on fire as his anxiety flared up. He mentally yelled at himself for acting like a skittish deer just because the other man was so grumpy. It didn’t mean Shane didn’t like him, right?

 

        Marnie came into the room and led Jas to her seat, then got to serving everyone a heaping plate of noodles and evenly distributed sauce. She set a bowl of pre-shredded cheese and a smaller bowl of dried spices right next to a large basket of cheesy garlic breadsticks that had Jason’s mouth watering. She winked at Jason again as she gave him a large helping of ground meat to mix into his spaghetti, and he gave her another grateful smile. Shane settled in next to him, and Jason stiffly passed him the bread basket when he asked, not making eye contact.

 

        “Shane, how was work?” Marnie asked, coaxing her nephew to be a bit more sociable seeing as how they had a guest. 

 

        “Fine.” The other man grunted, clearly more focused on stabbing his spaghetti and shoving it into his mouth.

 

        “Jas passed her test with Miss Penny today, you know. Flying colours.” Marnie informed him. 

 

        “Oh, congrats Jas.” Jason offered with a smile, swallowing down the forkful of food he had in his mouth. Jas gave him a shy smile and thanked him. Shane looked up, much to Jason’s surprise, and smiled also.

 

        “Course she did. She’s smart.” He grinned at her and went back to eating his food with a more neutral expression. Marnie seemed pleased that she had managed to get him out of his ill humour, Jason noted.

 

        “And what about you, Jason? What else is new on the farm?” Marnie turned to him. Jason shrugged fluidly, washing down his food with water.

 

        “Nothing much. Crops are fine. Money’s starting to get to the point where I’m not eating into my savings. Could use some variety foodwise, though.”

 

        “Thought Willy had taught you how to fish by now?”

 

        “Not much good at it. I’ve been trying to make my own traps for crawfish and such, but they break easy.” Jason admitted. “If I can’t get it with my bare hands, I can’t eat it.”

 

        “I can lend you some chicken wire or some such if you want to make a proper trap.” Marnie offered.

 

        “Ah, thank you..” Jason said, trailing off awkwardly.

 

        “Say, Jason? What’s this I hear about Robin going down to renovate your granddad’s old cabin?”

 

        “Oh, that. Uh. Well, the place needs a kitchen and extra space something bad and I finally have enough set aside for it..” He should have known there’s no secrets in a small town. For the most part, anyway.

        “That kind of renovation means you won’t be able to live there while it’s being done, though.” Marnie stated, raising her brow at him for confirmation. Unable to lie to such a kind woman, he nodded.

 

        “That settles it, then. You can stay with us.”

 

        “Come again?” Jason asked, sitting bolt upright. Shane had a similar look of shock on his face.

 

        “I said, you can stay with us. You’ll earn your keep if you really want to by helping me around the ranch and such, but you’re staying here until Robin’s done.”

 

        “But, Aunt Marnie, he has a- You know.” Shane argued, looking at Jas momentarily. Marnie caught on to his meaning as fast as Jason did, and had the exact opposite reaction Jason had. Jason merely looked down at his half finished plate, feeling all of the scars on his body inflicted by the wolf that bit him burning visibly. He had been right about Shane, and Shane feared him and feared he would hurt Jas. He felt oddly hurt by it in an altogether new way. 

 

        Marnie, however, grew angry. She calmly asked Jas to leave the room and take her plate with her before sitting in front of Shane.

 

        “This boy isn’t going to harm anyone.” she said, nodding to Jason. “How long has he been living in this town and with no incidents? I haven’t heard anybody complain about anything to do with him. He does fine work on his farm and gives us regular business. Jas likes him, too. His condition isn’t anything to be afraid of, and you know better than to even think that for a second. He still deserves to be treated with respect, seeing as it isn’t anything he asked for or can control.”

 

        Shane seemed to have lost his voice, and looked a little ashamed. Jason thought he did, anyway. It was hard to tell when Jason himself had only momentarily glanced up to see what was happening.

 

        “... I didn’t mean it that way.” Shane said, ruffled.

 

        “Then what did you mean?” Jason asked, his voice small. 

 

        “I don’t know, I guess. I’m.. I’m sorry.” Shane answered, looking him in the eye for the first time that day.

 

        “Apology accepted.” Jason said after a beat. Marnie smiled and pat his hand, the tension dissipated.

 

        “I’ll go help you get your things once you tell Robin to get started on the renovations. Now, who wants cherry pie?” She left to go and fetch Jas for dessert, and Jason helped collect the plates without meeting Shane’s gaze.

 

        “Hey. How long’s this renovation of yours gonna take?” He asked Jason.

 

        “Oh. About a month..” Jason said, then sighed inwardly. 

  
        It was going to be a long month.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys enjoyed that! I wanted to say again that it's really only been your kudos and comments that keep me writing. I really like that you all enjoy this as much as I do. I love all of the positive support this fic has been getting, and I really really appreciate every single one of you who reads and leaves me feedback. I've been toying with the idea of illustrating parts of this fic on my art tumblr, anybody interested?


	6. The Room

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jason moves in to Marnie's and is forced out of necessity to room with Shane, which wouldn't be so bad except that Jason is starting to notice things about him that won't make the situation any easier. He almost wishes he'd asked Marnie to put him in the chicken coop instead.
> 
> (A/N: Changed the chapter title- and before you ask no I did not intend for it to be related to Tommy Wiseau's /masterpiece/ from 2003. I would invite heartily any comparisons, however, and if there's fanart or anything please for the love of god send it to my tumblr k-aworunagisa).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Right, now I'm done exams and I've got some down time between now and when summer school starts for me (gotta even out that GPA, ya know). So I'm definitely able to write more and more often! Also this chapter was inspired by the fact that I'm insanely gay and whenever pretty people talk to me my heart stops. True story.

        “..And that ought to do it. Well, I’m off Robin! I’ll come by and check in on progress in a few days like you said.” Jason called, waving to the red-haired carpenter on his porch as he attached a few more things onto the back of one of Marnie’s cows.

 

        “Be seeing you. Take care now, alright?” Robin called after him. 

 

        Jason nodded and said he would, then got to helping Marnie and Jas take the cows back to her ranch. He still couldn’t believe she had gone through with offering him shelter while Robin worked on his house, even if the old rancher was over-kind to him this was beyond that. If it weren’t for the fact that she was just so good to him and everyone he knew (there was an expression for people like this in his mother’s tongue, something like “much better than even bread”) he would think she wanted something from him. Marnie, however, seemed eager and ready to accept the responsibility and seemed to want nothing more than his help around the ranch in return.

 

        He mounted one of the horses Marnie had brought for him with a little difficulty, as he was sore out of practice swinging himself up onto a saddle, and quickly turned his mount to rustle the cows home. There was a little chatter, mostly from Marnie admiring the way the farm had gotten overgrown as they passed the cleared land and went into the pseudo forest that Jason hadn’t been able to cut down. 

 

        In very little time at all, they were back at the ranch and Marnie let the cows back in while Jason retrieved his things. Anxious about being a good guest, he began to groom the cows instead of unpacking his things (something that Marnie lovingly scolded, telling him to make himself at home and that the work would really start tomorrow). 

 

         If Jason was truly honest with himself, it wasn’t the work he was most worried about but the other inhabitant of Marnie’s home he’d have to share a space with. Marnie had declared that since she had no extra rooms that Shane was to share his room with Jason. Part of it was Jason’s own fault, he didn’t want Marnie or Jas to displace themselves for his sake- he had spent almost his whole life without a room of his own after all- but he had forgotten that Shane was also a factor when he said he was okay just taking a spot on the floor of the living room at night. 

 

        When he had said that, Jas had asked where he would be throughout the day when he wasn’t working (as she was unable to imagine  _ just _ sleeping somewhere and not hanging out in the same space during the day) and Jason had told her he’d probably be outside or in the barns. Marnie shook her head no and told him that that wasn’t her way of treating guests and that Jason deserved space just as much as any of them (when she said “deserved” Jason immediately felt relieved). He had been so happy that he’d nodded along dumbly when she asked Shane to please share a room with their newest guest since they were both grown men (Jason felt a shrug coming on but quelled it in favour of expressing the tiniest bit of shock that he hadn’t seen that coming) and Shane was often in town for work anyway.

 

         He took a deep breath and walked into the cottage where he would be living. Jason stood before the door to Shane’s room, feeling all kinds of awkward even though it was empty. He picked up his bags and nudged the door open with his toe, very quietly and timidly padding inside. 

 

         Despite the fact that the room was empty of Shane, it still had some of his energy and that made the hairs on Jason’s neck stand up. The curtains were drawn and it was dark and musty, the only light source muffled because Shane’s curtains were a darker blue than his walls. The room was messy, but the mess seemed to center around the right hand side of the room where Shane’s bed was. The left hand side had been somewhat cleaned (probably by Marnie, yet another kind deed he’d have to thank her for) and there was a futon mattress laid out with two rolled up quilts on top of it next to a fluffy looking pillow. Above his bed was a TV with a game console, next to which was a table with a radio.

 

        Marnie had also made sure to have Shane clear room in his (tiny) closet for Jason’s clothes, something he was grateful for but embarrassed by. Jason resolved to get unpacked as quickly as possible and leave the room to help Marnie man the shop and cook dinner. 

 

         It took him longer than he thought to unpack, if only because he had frequently looked over his shoulder at every noise out of worry that Shane would come in. He fit as much as he could into the closet and folded and organized everything else extremely neatly in small piles at the foot of the futon so as not to impose on Shane much more.

 

        After he had finished, he checked the clock and went down to the shop where he began sweeping and helping Marnie fill orders in. Lewis came by and chewed the fat with her for a long while, including Jason in the chat whenever he returned to the room with something Marnie had asked for. After he left,  Marnie closed up shop and waved him into the kitchen to help her out with prep. He washed, cut, and peeled carrots and turnips and potatoes as Marnie slathered a chicken with butter and herbs. Jason preheated the oven and got the food inside and cooking when it was at the right temperature, then leaned back.

 

         “Now, I’m gonna set a timer and when it goes off I’d like it if you could slather that chicken with more butter. I’m going to go out back and check on the animals.” Marnie said, washing her hands and putting her apron on the hook. Jason gave her a nod and fidgeted awkwardly with the hem of Shane’s apron when Marnie left. 

 

        The timer went off after about half an hour, and Marnie was still out back- probably handling the animals and checking in, she was always extremely thorough about that- so Jason did as he was told and slathered the nicely browning chicken with more melted butter, then put it back in the oven. He straightened his back out and began the washing up of the prep tools so as to make room for their dishes when he heard the door.

 

        Half expecting Marnie, he turned toward the door that led out to the coops but was rewarded with nothing. But before he could turn to the front door, a hand gently but firmly touched his shoulder and nudged him aside and the owner of said hand grunted for him to move. 

 

        Jason almost let out an undignified yelp, but calmed down and stepped aside. He turned around and was rewarded with a very scruffy looking Shane grabbing himself a glass of water and washing the tupperware he’d presumably used to transport his lunch to work. He drank deeply and sighed when he finished, putting the glass at the corner of his placemat on the kitchen table.

 

        “Uh.. Welcome home.” Jason said timidly, hating his voice for going up an octave as he spoke.

 

        “Hm. Thanks.” Shane grunted, actually looking at him. Jason avoided his eyes after a mere two seconds of contact.

 

          “So.. You’re all moved in.” It was a question, even if it didn’t feel like one. Jason was beginning to catch on to some of Shane’s speech patterns. He nodded and scratched the back of his neck, willing the hair there to lie flat. He racked his mind for conversation topics and started on the first thing he could think of that they had in common.

 

        “You know, I found that, when I worked at Joja, coming home was like.. Well, hell. I mean,  the pay was crap and the work was crap and I really wanted to tell my bosses to shove it up their asses just on principle. Uh, point is, I guess.. They suck. It isn’t like it’s your fault, anything that happens. Even if they make it out to be.” Shane was looking at him, but not strangely. His mouth quirked and he nodded, the shadow of a smile on his lips.

 

        “Guess even in their shitty call centres you can’t catch a break. Here in the shops everybody talks about how much better it must be to work there and not in the damn store. Better pay, better benefits, all that. The out-of-towners who work with me all swear it has to be some kinda heaven.” Shane supplied, giving a short laugh and shaking his head.

 

        Jason shrugged and gave a little laugh himself. “Nah. It’s the same shit. It’s always the same shit with big corporations like these.”

 

        “Ain’t that the truth.” Shane moves himself to the fridge and opens it, peering inside. “Kid. You want a beer?”

 

        Jason took a moment to himself to grin, flush with excitement at having successfully navigated a conversation- then another moment to wonder why exactly it was such a big deal  _ this _ time. He then caught himself and came back to reality, where Shane had looked up to await his response.

 

        “Uh, sure. What do you have?”

 

        “Just my brand and the kind Marnie uses to cook. Mine’s the pale ale, Marnie uses darker stout beer for cooking.”

 

        “I’ll, uh. I’ll take the pale ale. Stouts and me don’t get on well.” Jason says, wrinkling his nose at the sensory memory of the last time he’d had a stout. Shane guffawed a little and handed him a can.

 

        That night, after a lovely dinner with Marnie and Shane and Jas (who had been Jason’s seatmate at dinner and who had had many things to tell him about her schooling and many more questions about the farm) Jason sat on his futon. He had been sitting quietly for the past ten minutes, going over some of the farm books he’d brought with him and waiting for Shane to finish with the shower in the hall.

 

        It was easily another ten minutes before the older man opened the door to his room and walked inside.. In nothing but a towel. Jason was no stranger to nudity, but he felt he should avert his eyes for some reason or other. The room, however, was very tiny and that left him with very little places to stare that didn’t have some part of Shane in them. He decided to focus on the ceiling and recite a nonsensical limerick about counting chickens that his grandfather taught him when he was young. He heard the noise of a towel dropping and his ears began to burn. He began to experience a painful mix of anxiety and embarrassment if only because it had been so very long that someone had been undressed in the same vicinity as himself and also because it was  _ Shane _ and they would have to room together for the next while and Jason’s instinctive responses to this situation made it clear that that would be extremely difficult.

 

        Jason desperately prayed to any god who was listening to please  _ please _ take the anxiety away and let him live his damn life. He did not get a response. Jason blindly groped for his shower things and left in a hurry instead of waiting any longer.

 

        Once in the shower, he calmed down a bit and tried to assess the situation. First, what the hell was that all about? He figured it had been a while but that was no excuse. Sure, Shane was good looking but there were a lot of good looking people in town and he was  _ rooming _ with Shane and that was probably not something he wanted to expand on. At least, not with Jason. Oh fuck. Wait. Was it a crush? Jason shook his head out so fast it made it dizzy. 

 

        No.  _ Hell no _ . It wasn’t a crush, he was just really really insanely gay and pretty people made his heart weak. That was it. Yeah, that sounded about right.

 

        Having convinced himself more or less successfully that  he was fine, Jason turned the knob and got dried inside the shower, then reached past the curtain for his boxers. He got out of the shower and dried his hair and brushed his teeth. He grabbed the shirt he’d brought with him and tugged it on, then looked around for his sweatpants and put those on too.

 

        Jason made his way back to Shane’s room and found the other man already in bed and reading. He put his stuff away and got into his own bed, staring at the ceiling for a while. 

 

        “I’m heading off to sleep now. Turning the lights off. You mind?” Shane asked, putting his book aside.

 

        “Nah. I was going to sleep as well..” Jason said awkwardly.

 

        “Night, then.” Shane shut off the lights and rolled over in the dark.

  
        Jason repeated it back to him and rolled over. He didn’t sleep very much that night.


	7. The Moon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jason's stay at Marnie's continues, and he prepares to wolf out toward the end of the month which- ironically- is also Spirit's Eve. It's about that time of year again, anyway.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's finally done!! I promised a new chapter months back, I know, and to make up for how long it's been I am making this chapter a little extra longer than usual and I have set an actual honest-to-goodness schedule up for writing so I can at least have a semi-regular (if more irregular because of school) ability to post. I'm hoping I can keep to it and that neither school nor chronic pain/mental illness gets in my way to write.
> 
> Firstly and foremostly I want to thank my beta reader, Kai, for their incredible work and their pointers and guidance. This chapter really would not be as good as it is, nor as well written, if not for their editing skills and their questions. Thank you, Kai!! Hats off to you, my friend.
> 
> Secondly, I want to again thank everyone who has commented or bookmarked or left kudos on my work- it is what inspires me to keep going at the end of the day. As much as I also want to find out what happens to Jason and Shane, the praise is fuel for my passion. 
> 
> I also want to just thank my friend Valentina, who dared me to write this chapter's opening scene referencing.. well, I'll let you guys figure it out. Point being, she dared me, and I am only as good as my word so here it is. Love you, hon.
> 
> Now I'm all done with my thanks and crap, you guys go on ahead and read. Enjoy!

        Jason was up to his collarbone in lavender scented water, resting his head on a rolled up towel. The bathtub was full, and warm, and it felt like all of his stress had melted from his bones. Out of habit, he touched the scars just below his pectorals, from surgery years ago. He opened his eyes to grab the glass of champagne he knew was resting on the tray at his right side. When he moved to grab his glass, however, he saw Shane.

 

        Shane was wearing red swim trunks and a red tank top that revealed too much of his chest. It had a white cross and the word “lifeguard” silkscreened onto the very middle. He had a whistle around his neck, and a red kneeboard to complete the outfit. Jason scrunched his face up and tried to remember when exactly he had invited Shane to his apartment in the city for his after work Relaxation Nights.

 

        “Uh, Shane? What are you doing in my bathroom?” Jason asked, sitting up.

 

        “You should be more careful, you know. No body of water is truly safe without a lifeguard present.” Shane smirked, cocksure.

 

        “Sure, sure… Wait a second, this - this is my  _ bathroom _ ! There’s no need for a lifeguard in a bathroom!” Jason shot up, about to physically remove Shane from his apartment. Before he could, the other man put his hands on his shoulders and pushed him gently back into the water.

 

        “Relax, your lifeguard is now on duty. Enjoy the bubbles, beachgoer.” Shane winked at him.

 

        “ _ Bathroom _ goer.” Jason corrected, feeling oddly ambivalent about the invasion of his space. He shut his eyes to block Shane out, turning crimson and not from the heat of the water.

 

        “Get out there’s a shark! There’s a shark!” Shane shouted, blowing his whistle. 

 

        Jason jumped up out of the water, in a panic, before he realized that this was  _ still _ his bathroom and the noise would almost certainly end in a complaint from his neighbours to the landlord. Who would surely use it against him in the future.

 

        “Shane, this is a bathroom. There are no sharks, now stop blowing the damned whistle. I’m going to get evicted.” Jason hissed, tearing the whistle from his lips. Shane smirked at him again and moved to stand by the tub, leaning into Jason.

 

        “Aren’t you glad I was here, though? You could have slipped and drowned.” Shane purred. Jason felt his ears go hot, and was certain he rather resembled a cherry.

 

        Shane loomed closer to Jason, still smirking. “I think we should maybe celebrate my presence...” The older man’s eyes flickered from Jason’s eyes to his lips. Jason licked his lips nervously, but could not stop himself from closing the distance.

 

        ‘So close… so warm… Wait, what the hell was that rustling noise?’ It was so loud, it had to be nearby but he couldn’t see anybody or anything capable of making such a racket. Was there someone else here, were they outside of his bathroom? Jason made to get out of the tub and watched in shock as his bathroom faded. Blinking he found himself-

 

        -Back at Marnie’s, in Shane’s room. Shane rummaging blindly in his room for his things was what woke Jason. In fact, it had been the only other consistent wake up call Jason had had recently besides his finely attuned biological clock. It was six in the morning, a week away from Halloween (which the residents called Spirit’s Eve) and already three weeks into his stay at Marnie’s. There was a light rainfall outside, and the cold caused condensation to form on the window which was seeping into the room and settling on the floor where Jason was cocooned in three fluffy blankets on his bedroll.

 

        The mornings had been getting progressively colder, and in Stardew Valley the cold was nothing like what Jason had faced in the city. He had never spent a full winter in the Valley, even when his grandfather was alive. Just the time necessary for him to get past full moons, and that was all. Always the kind to take cold easily, Jason had ensured he’d brought some of his spare blankets with him from the house. They were proving to be useful in keeping him warm and comfortable as he slept, but he was having other issues.

 

        Such as the progressively weirder dreams he’d been having featuring Shane. It was a bit of an overstatement to say they were  _ only _ about Shane- sometimes there were other people in his dreams like Elliot or Alex. But mostly Shane. Jason chalked it up to the fact that he was spending so much more time in the other man’s company, and that was that. He had spent so much time in Shane’s room that he was used to the smell of him- a mix of hay, sweat and mild mint aftershave. Perhaps it was precisely because he was so accustomed to it from being around him that Jason dreamed mostly of Shane. The close-knit community of the Valley was vastly different from city living, and the casual intimacy and “everybody knows everybody” vibes were slowly integrating into Jason’s entire self.

 

        Shane stopped rummaging, and Jason rolled over and watched him hastily pack his things. The older man glanced at Jason for just a moment, and gave a grunt of acknowledgement.

 

        “Morning, Jason.” He said gruffly.

 

        “Morning to you too.” He stretched, aiming to crack a few kinks in his back and settle back down. The noise had stopped, and Jason’s ears were no longer ringing. He sat up and scooted back as Shane moved past him, getting ready to rush out of the house. The other man paused for a moment and turned back.

 

        “The, uh. The full moon’s coming up soon. You... prepared?” Shane looked genuinely concerned. Jason felt an odd weight in his chest, and he blinked rapidly.

 

        “...I’m fine. I, uh. I was going to go over things later today.” He said quickly, conscious that Shane was taking time out of his busy morning to check up on him. “Thanks for your concern.”

 

        Shane shrugged and said his goodbyes before leaving. Jason lay back down, staring restlessly at the ceiling and wondering why he had felt so odd just then. He gave himself another few minutes to rest in the warmth of the blankets before he decided enough was enough. Jason got up, made up his bedroll, and got dressed. 

 

        He splashed some water on his face in the bathroom and took a quick look at his eyes, noticing they looked considerably more wolf-like. The dark green had a subtle golden glow about them, darker and lighter at the same time. There was the faintest trace of silver stubble along his jaw, and his nails were also a bit more of an opaque white. His hair was a mess, as per, but Jason was looking a bit more feral than usual. The moon was to blame, partly, but Jason was certain that the strange magic of the Valley itself had a hand in it. He’d never looked so wild in the city!

 

        It was no small wonder Shane had seemed so concerned for him. Nothing out of the ordinary, it was just that Jason looked a bit more scary than he usually did. That was all, nothing more. Jason sighed and shaved carefully, avoiding nicking himself only by a hair. While brushing his teeth, he took note of the slightly longer canines. He decided against applying cream or aftershave once he opened the caps to each and recoiled in disgust at the overwhelming presence of menthol, strong enough that it made his eyes water. Jason brushed his hair, and trimmed his nails. It wasn’t a complete makeover, but it seemed to take some of the wildness out of him. As an afterthought, he took an Advil just in case he encountered more loud and overwhelming noises.

 

        He did his morning chores, which mostly involved feeding the animals as well as cleaning and replacing the dirty straw. Jason spent more time with the chickens after he’d checked each individual cow over. He felt more at home with the chickens and rabbits, even though they smelled so strongly of the straw and the food they ate that it was almost the same as standing with the cows and horses in his current state. The livestock were still getting accustomed to his presence, and Jason knew that they were only so nervous because he was so very strange looking and because he smelled rather more like a predator than a regular human. By the time he finished Marnie and Jas were up and he took a few moments to check his appearance in a dirty mirror hanging off the side of the stable before going back inside.

 

        Jas was the first to acknowledge his presence, and waved at him before going back to eating a hashbrown. Marnie turned next and rushed over to greet him and get him settled in for breakfast, which she had made in a large amount. She always made hearty breakfasts, but apparently it was a habit of hers to go all out on Fridays given as how it was the last day of the working week and (as she put it) “good food is good fuel for the day”. In secret, one night while Shane took a beer nap in the living room she confided in Jason that she did it mostly for Shane, knowing how draining his job was. Food was a good motivator for anyone, and Jason had become very partial to Marnie’s cooking. He served himself a large plate of fried ham (the scent of which was enough to make him drool) with some toast and waffles, then added a portion of frittata as an afterthought. The presence of the vegetables in the frittata was only slightly off-putting in his current state, but he knew he needed them just as much as he needed the meat.

 

        “Jason, I’ve got the vet coming round to check on the animals and some potential buyers as well. Could you take care of Jas and the shop for me today?” Marnie passed him a mug of hot tea with plenty of milk and sugar and sat down with a mug of coffee for herself.

 

        “Yeah, for sure. Penny comes by at eight fifteen, right?” Jason accepted the mug and forced himself to slow down and savour his food.

 

        “That’s right. You’ve got a bit of time to get yourselves ready. Oh, and be a dear - I left a jar of cherry marmalade for Penny on the counter, be sure it gets to her.” 

 

        “Scout’s honour.” Jason promised her, raising his fork. He then promptly stuffed his face with fried ham. 

 

        He helped Marnie with the dishes and then left to get Jas’ bag so that he could give her her lunch and make sure she had all her homework. She brushed her hair and teeth and washed her hands, all the while filling Jason in on the things she was learning from Penny’s classes about the Valley’s history.

 

        “-and Miss Penny says that there are still Dwarves around but nobody here’s seen them in ages cause of, uhm. Construction and overmining and defrorest- deforcest-”

 

        “You’ve almost got it. De-forest-ation.” He smiled and had her repeat it slowly so she got it. “If you have trouble with big words, all you have to do is start over and break them down. Kay?”

 

        “Kay.” She gave him a timid grin and put on her backpack. Jason glanced at the clock and grabbed the jar of marmalade a moment before Penny pushed through the door with Vincent in tow.

 

        “Oh, good morning Jason! You’re looking very, er, windswept today. I suppose I am too, the wind is really kicking up some leaves today.” Penny smiled and fixed her hair and clothes.

 

        “Yeah, no kidding. You’re still doing tutoring, huh? Didn’t they say they’d fix the bus to Zuzu city by now?” Jason helped Jas with her shoes and glanced over to Penny.

 

        “Oh, the repairs are running a lot later than usual and the school is being more than accommodating about it. It’s really hard living out so far from the cities when something like this happens… But I’m glad for the chance to teach in the meanwhile.” She preened and blushed a little. Jason snorted and gave a mirthful grin. 

 

        “It takes some getting used to for me, I guess. Marnie wanted me to give you this before you go. It’s… cherry.” Jason glanced at the label to confirm before handing it over. Penny gave her thanks and left with the kids. When they were gone Jason tied an apron around his waist and swept the shop up before manning the counter.

 

        The shop was reasonably busy, given that it was a Friday and most people wanted to buy something for dinner or for the weekend. No matter how busy it got, no one yelled at him or demanded anything unreasonable. It was a stark contrast to his previous employment, so much so that it made him wonder why on earth he’d spent so many years enduring Joja’s city office. The call centre and the customer service hell he had endured still gave him nightmares even after such a long time away.

 

        Emily came by on Gus’ behalf and talked with Jason for a little bit, mostly just filling him in on the goings-on of her latest dress design. While she chatted, he packaged the different cuts of meat Gus had ordered for the pub, trying to curb a sudden vivid urge to eat them. Mayor Lewis dropped by at his usual time to look for Marnie (Jason had begun to suspect that she was the only reason he dropped by so often, he wasn’t extremely subtle about it) but ended up talking to Jason for a good long while about people in town and asking how the renovation was coming along. After they left it was Elliot who came to the counter with a dozen eggs to catch up with him.

 

        Hours later, Jas came home and Jason momentarily stepped away from the shop so he could make her a snack and look over her work. Marnie was still out with the vet and animals, so he took the initiative to start on dinner as well. Jason returned to the shop, and closed within the hour when dusk settled into the forest. He was relieved at first, glad that his work was over and he could enjoy dinner and a well earned rest, but his stomach dropped when he remembered he hadn’t spent a single second thinking about how to tell Marnie, Shane, and Jas how he usually dealt with his transformations.

 

        He politely excused himself from Jas and Marnie in the kitchen when the latter returned and went to Shane’s room, grabbing the nearest two pillows and screaming into them. It was a stupid decision, because although Jas and Marnie couldn’t hear him through the pillows and over the din in the kitchen, Jason’s heightened senses immediately wracked him with pain. The sudden loud noise was entirely unwelcome, as was the belated realization that the Advil he had taken in the morning must have worn off sometime between his shift ending and cooking. Jason clutched his head in his hands and squeezed his eyes shut, wishing he had grabbed the medicine from the bathroom beforehand.

 

        The pain and ringing continued on long enough that Jason failed to hear the heavy footfalls behind him until the lights turned on. He groaned in pain and sank to the floor, now having to contend with a sudden change in lighting. Someone behind him swore and Jason felt hands on his shoulders, which he recognized to be Shane’s hands due to the size and the rough way they held him. He felt like Shane was talking, he could pick up something like vibrations and faint noise, but he couldn’t make him out quite yet.

 

        After a few minutes of silence on Jason’s part, he finally opened his eyes and blinked a bit owlishly at Shane. Shane was still in his Joja uniform and looked rather more stressed than usual, and Jason felt a far off sense of guilt that he had been the cause.

 

        “Holy crap, Jason, I was about to get Marnie. What the hell was that about? Are you alright?” 

 

        “I’m fine, I’m fine..” Jason shook his head slowly, readjusting his senses a bit. “This is just.. Part of the package.” A poor explanation, but it would do. Shane looked relieved, and then worried again in equal parts.

 

        “... Is there something on my face?” Jason ventured, raising a brow. 

 

        “N- Well, I. You just.. Have a fair bit of stubble going on there. And I think your hair’s gotten a bit longer. Is that-?”

 

        “Oh, that? Yeah.. It doesn’t usually happen so fast, but yeah. Hair growth, heightened senses, an aversion to garlic..” Jason shrugged.

 

        “Isn’t.. I thought garlic was for vampires?” Shane seemed to regain his composure.

 

        “When your senses get as sensitive as mine do, it becomes hell to deal with how strong it is. Double hell for me, since I love cheesy garlic bread so much.” Jason cracked a grin, then remembered how close he was to Shane and how feral he must look to the older man. He immediately closed his mouth, feeling his fangs poking at his bottom lip anyway.

 

        “My condolences.” Shane snickered and gave Jason’s shoulders a pat before smoothly moving away. “Dinner’s nearly on. No garlic, I swear.”

 

        “Gee, thanks.” Jason snorted and picked himself up off of the floor, then dusted himself off.

 

        After a quick shave, Jason padded into the dining room and sat down to eat. The family was already swapping stories, Shane was nursing his usual beer.. The familiarity of it all calmed Jason down, and he managed to devise a succinct explanation in his head by the time Marnie came back to the table with a heavenly smelling apple pie. He waited until everyone had gotten a piece of it on a plate before he cleared his throat.

 

         “...So. Er.” He began, shifting nervously in his seat. “I’m, uh. The moon, is, uh.”

 

        Everybody was looking at him now. He swallowed and began anew.

 

        “The, moon. Is nearly full, now, sort of. Or, it’s  _ getting _ full. Fuller.”

 

        Shane and Jas had both begun eating, alternating between looking at their plates and looking at Jason. Marnie gave him a small smile, her pie untouched. Jason tapped his fingers on the table nervously.

 

        “... I’m so sorry, I’ve just never had to actually tell anyone before. Give me a minute.” He took a deep breath and held it for a moment before exhaling.

 

        “So... The moon is due to be full come Hallo- er, Spirit’s Eve. Or before, or after. It isn’t exactly precise, but there you have it. And I’ll likely be spending it here. So... I’ll just. Go ahead and lay it all out.” He pushed his plate away for the moment. “The first thing is, it isn’t dangerous. I’m not dangerous, I mean. I still know who I am and all, is what I’m trying to get at. I’m not going to eat any livestock or hurt anything.”

 

        “So definitely not like the movies and TV.” Shane put in. “You’re just going to be one big wolf?”

 

        “Essentially? I mean, I’ll need to eat a lot of food beforehand and during because of the amount of energy I burn transforming and running around but I’m not- I’m not a danger. I just have different behaviours, but it’s pretty much still me.” Jason scratched under his chin and noted the immediate return of his stubble.

 

        “Is there any reason you can’t just transform in the house and  _ then  _ go outside? I hate to think of you out in the cold still human. I could leave the door open, perhaps?” Marnie pushed her plate away and folded her hands. It was really so sweet of her to be concerned for his sake.

 

        “Uh, probably not a good idea. I wouldn’t fit through the door, I get really big. I’ll just... Bring more clothes or something, for before and after. But once I have fur things get better, so don’t worry about the cold with me.”

 

        Marnie nodded and reached forward to pet Jason’s arm. “Is there anything else you want to tell us about it?”

 

        “That’s really all there is to it. So, no.” Jason replied, and then promptly began to eat his pie in order to get away from the subject. “This is really good, by the way.”   
  
        Marnie’s eyes crinkled happily, and she pet his arm again. “Don’t talk with your mouth full.”

 

        The days passed quickly, and Jason kept extremely busy. Due to the moon growing fuller and fuller every night that passed, he was forced to shave and trim his nails and attempt to make his hair cooperate every single day, about three times a day. It was almost enough to make him miss the city, if only because there was almost always less magic in cities of the kind that affected Jason’s transformation this way. Marnie was extremely understanding about it all, and she hadn’t lost her patience with him even once over his frequent asks for a few minutes to fix his appearance when he was helping her with the shop. Jas was also understanding, in her own way, and she asked him lots of questions and also tried to help him by bringing round books from the library that even made mention of werewolves. It was extremely endearing, and Jason now had a thick pile of books beside his bedroll every night to read when he couldn’t sleep (which was getting to be even more frequent).

 

        Frustrated with the anxiety of waiting and constantly shaving, Jason had even gone to visit the wizard in the woods. Once there, he had been seated on an uncomfortable rickety wooden stool and shared a cup of chamomile tea and pleasantries while in the other room a foul smelling concoction boiled in a cauldron. They had shared a short chat, mostly involving how Jason was supposed to get an accurate read on when the moon was going to be its fullest each month and why the valley was affecting him so much. He only got a concrete answer for the first query.

 

        The lesson had been brief and Jason came out of it with an especially accurate lunar calendar to take home which made it worth the visit and the endurance of the disgusting smell from the cauldron. Rasmodius seemed much happier seeing Jason off than when inviting him inside.

 

        The morning after found Jason wide awake at four, listening to the house’s residents as they slept to try and lull himself back to sleep as well. Shane was the loudest and closest, his breathing seemed to be right next to Jason’s ear. The second loudest was Marnie, who snored, and finally Jas, who only tossed and turned ceaselessly. The palest of light was beginning to lighten up the room, and Jason continued to struggle to get back to sleep without much success.

 

        When the sun had finally come up and Shane’s clock showed it to be two minutes to the alarm going off, Jason gave up and instead sat up to watch Shane. Throughout the past few days he had been closer to Jason. The other man hadn’t gone especially out of his way to help him past one awkward night where he had given Jason a few tips about shaving massive amounts of facial hair quickly and properly. But Shane had offered to share a drink with him more frequently, and it had become a nightly occurrence, taking place after dinner. They spent nights talking between beers and it had been a massive help for Jason to continue feeling normal. And if he laughed a little louder or longer at Shane’s jokes, no one needed to know why.

 

        The alarm went off and began its shrill beeping, each one a dagger in Jason’s ears even through all the blankets he had bundled up around them. Mercifully, Shane smacked the snooze button in record time and got up, rubbing his eyes and giving a great yawn. The older man looked around his room and met Jason’s eyes.

 

        “Tonight’s the night, huh.” He said by way of a greeting. Jason nodded quietly, pulling the blankets tighter. Shane scratched his stubble and got out of bed to change into his uniform. Jason looked away politely to give him some privacy, his cheeks burning. “How long does it usually last, anyway? You never mentioned.”

 

        “Lasts as long as the moon is full to the human eye. So, for the next three or four days...” Jason’s voice was scratchy from disuse. Shane spared him a sympathetic glance.

 

        “No time for beer tonight, then?”

 

        “No… best not to.” Jason said, giving a tiny smile. Shane nodded his understanding and left for work, and Jason got up to do his usual chores.

 

        The day passed in a blur, and the passage of time was marked each half hour by Jason’s breaks for snacking. He ate more than he needed and more frequently in order to stock up for the night to come.

 

        Finally, after a short dinner, he excused himself to grab two blankets and a spare set of clothes. He packed these into a duffel bag and slung it across his back, then turned to leave Marnie’s. Marnie herself stopped him at the door for a hug, then wished him well. He gave a tiny grin and looked into the kitchen to find Shane, who raised his beer can at him and nodded silently. 

 

        Jason left the ranch and all its lights behind, heading into Cindersap Forest but maintaining a healthy distance from the wizard’s tower. He circled around the lake, going southwest and found a few giant pines that grew close together. Jason set the blankets down between the roots and put the bag with spare clothes between the roots of the pine next to it. He began to strip just when his hairs began to rise, and the transformation set in a few minutes after he had finished stashing his clothes into the bag, shivering wildly.

* * *

 

        The first thing he thinks is that this place is familiar, the scents and the ground beneath his great paws is spongy and soft with pine needles. His memories do not stretch as far back as the age of his body, but he knows he has been here in a before-time, as a young cub. Jason pads through another cluster of trees and notes the overwhelming presence of pine-scent. He pauses and rolls his huge body onto the needles, and only stops when he is satisfied that their scent has mingled with his. 

 

        He raises his head again and swivels his ears, hearing men’s voices from far away and the wind through the trees. He picks up water noises from the lake and the rivers, he hears the night wildlife moving and breathing but also he hears speech from neither man nor animal. There is a thrumming in the air in this territory and it is a language all in itself, ancient, far older than Jason’s blood-curse and far more powerful and encompassing. He feels an urge to go to the where the thrumming intensifies, but another part of his mind stops his paws from running to the road leading east into the man-place. He snorts and shakes his furry head, but he cannot shake off the deep seated fear of the east road, the feeling that he must not go into the man-place while the moon shows her pale face in the sky. The feeling will not release his powerful legs so long as his mind is on the east road, so he shakes his head again and begins to gallop west, toward the lake.

 

        The moon shines brighter here, reflected on the water and illuminating Jason’s silvery pelt. There is a dryness in his throat, so he drinks long and deep, and when he is done he stands still for a moment. He then moves silently along the lake’s shore, and when he grows bored of the water he runs back west to where he smells a deeper part of the forest, a part of the forest that thrums more than the large spire south of it. He bares his teeth in silent frustration when he encounters ancient logs far larger than him in his way. The bark is too smooth for his paws to find purchase and after three attempts to leap over them, Jason grows bored again and stalks off.

 

        It isn’t until the dead hours before the dawn that he feels a strong urge to  _ go _ somewhere. There’s been a smell on the breeze, and on the human clothes he nosed at hidden between the roots of trees. It’s coming from the east, but not from the road into town. He gets up from where he has been quietly in repose and heads toward the source, and this time no impulses or feelings stop him. If anything, he gains speed easily because it smells like home and warmth, like a comfortable den. He soon stops when he reaches a wooden fence, assessing it carefully for any kind of human trick. He cannot find any visible evidence, but he feels as though there is and that he should not go over or under. He cannot scent anything about the fence other than the sleeping livestock nearby, and he has no interest for investigating their dens. Jason snorts and shakes his head, frustrated that he cannot be where the scent is when it is so close, just a few yards past the fence is the window where it is coming from.

 

        Left with no other choice, Jason paces for a minute. He raises his head back and gives a long, low howl. He gazes at the window, and for a moment there are two dark eyes in a familiar face looking back out at him from between the shutters. There is silence as two different worlds look at each other, and Jason is the first to break contact. He stalks off toward the pines just before the watery grey light of dawn staves off the dark of night.


End file.
